Saturday, 13 April 2013

On the Mat Day 361: What is Technical?

I'll just throw this up because watching this video is what jiu-jitsu means to me, and it also made me happy watching it.

This was the third time I trained this week so am getting much better at using my legs to pass because of the exposure to the technique. K-sensei was away in Handa teaching so I got to spar with F-sensei instead. I keep meaning to take a video of him as he dominates me with sitting guard. He has basically been using this guard for over a year now and is very good at unbalancing his opponent.

I sparred a few round with Dimitri, 2 in the gi 1 without. We should probably switch to shorts for it because my instincts drive me to grab for the pants. He has a crush on Marcelo Garcia right now so is working on butterfly guard. I had a couple of successful passes on it but make mistakes like leaving my hands on the mat, which is just begging for a Kimura. I can usually get my other arm in to play to pull off the counter but it's hard versus a stronger opponent. During sparring I need to stick to my plan more. Against opponents I suspect will tap me if I let them pass my guard (this applies to bigger, stronger guys), I don't allow myself to play turtle, which is what I am working on. Perhaps I need to smack my ego around a bit or I'll not progress.

After asking Dimitri whether he thought I was technical at the end of the night. It got me thinking about what technical actually means. To me a technical guy displays the following attributes.

They have more of a mental based game than a physical attribute based game. Meaning, in their head they can see pathways to certain chains of techniques rather like playing chess. This is in contrast to a grappler who overpowers with strength and speed, and scrambles a lot.

They can explain their technique in great detail when asked how to do it.

They can often talk about options that are available based on opponent's reactions.

They actually watch how the opponent moves and react to it rather than stubbornly trying to force a technique.

They are an older grappler but can hang with younger guys by using tactics such as baiting them or utilizing certain techniques to slow down the pace.

Their escapes have a high success rate.

They are good at disrupting the opponent's balance.

Most of the time they move in a certain way that suggests they knew what you were thinking about doing.

This is just a list off the top of my head about my opinion on technicality based on the people who I have sparred with over my time doing BJJ.

At the end of class I also did about 30 mins grip fighting with Dmitri. It was very useful but an uncharted area for me because I often play guard. Hopefully I can get good at this and introduce Judo to my repertoire. With this goal I've loaned the Guerilla Jiu-jitsu book that explains about gripping.

Sparring time: 7 x 6 mins = 42 mins

Note to self: I must keep my backside down when in top side control against a stronger opponent. I am still getting rolled over if they grab my belt or just power me over. I am also researching how to finish the triangle when they gable grip their hands and use the elbow as a frame against my hip.

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About Me

I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in October 2009 after getting fit using P90X. Ive done a number of martial arts since I was 13 years old; Karate (Wado-Ryu, Shotokan), Aikido, Boxing, Pancrase and Kendo. I started BJJ because I've always had an interest in submission techniques. I am currently a black belt under Shinsuke Fukuzumi. My initial goal for doing BJJ was to become tough and improve my self-defence skills. This has changed quite a bit and I now find myself doing BJJ more for the enjoyment and health aspect. I maintain a steady weight of 73 to 74 kg and sometimes compete under Leve (lightweight).
I try to train 3-4 times a week while balancing a busy full time job and meet the demands of my 3 young kids.
BJJ Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Marcelo Behring > Waldomiro Perez > Roberto Godoi > Marco Barbosa>Shinsuke Fukuzumi